rAiNbOwS~‏

Dearest Family~

I can’t agree more with brother brad! This week was most definitely an incredible one! So so much to tell!

As you know Nirva’s was finishing up lessons this week for her baptism on Sunday. So we taught her some awesome object lessons that she and Anne just LOVED! I love it bc when they love it they make it known. “Oh my that is so beautiful!” As they pat their heart J Tuesday Nirva wasn’t able to come so we just taught Anne. I again agree with Brad. I love the spirit. That morning in comp. study we decided that to keep them both on the same page we would share a BOM story with her. So we sat for a bit and I’m flipping through my pages and close them to just listen. Mosiah 24 came to my mind. Ok sounds good. (Anne’s son had just gotten in a car accident and she was going through insurance stuff which is always a pain so I thought this would be comforting to her.) Well we get to the church and Anne tells us about her day. She has a “friend” who is jealous of her. (jealous of her happiness and what she has.) Anne works with 5 special needs kids and really enjoys it. Well her “friend” went and told the boss that for some reason they needed to switch. So her boss came to her and told her she needed to switch. So the person that Anne is she took on the responsibility. She now takes care of 22 kids, one who is fully handicapped. As she goes on she explains that she will take the change and see the positive of it and that she will grow from the experience and not be negative. Her friend came up to her and in a kinda not nice way asked, “So how was your day.” Her friend was a bit taken back when Anne replied in a happy tone, “Great!” Anne was definitely teaching me and smith a lesson. We go and start reading what we had prepared and Anne was AMAZED. She kept looking up amazed and putting her head down. She explained that she couldn’t believe that this story was just for her. That it was exactly what she needed, it was ABOUT her. She hung her head for a minute or so, trying not to cry. This story touched her so much. She expressed gratitude towards God for sending us to her and how much happier she has been since she has been coming to the church. It was so so neat.

Thursday Elder Ringwood came for our zone conference and it was soooo good. (He was mission pres in Seoul Korea till 2007. haha. Kev entered right as he left but he knew Andy Thomas. He said that is the real reason that Preston is famous lol.) The spirit was great. Then Friday we met Nirva early since she missed a lesson and things got crazy. Trying to rush and get to Woodside for the Devotional on time. (there was a devotional for everyone and Elder Ringwood was speaking.) Well we were able to get their on time with a great seat. I saw a few ppl from the Park Slope ward so that was nice as well. The Chinese elders sang a beautiful arrangement of “How Great Thou Art.” It was so neat bc Nirva’s mom, Yolande was humming along and Anne was closing her eyes, lovin it. They loved it. So much that after one of our memebers spoke (he was the first speaker) that they started clapping their hands. Hahahha. Oops. I had to lean over and explain why we don’t clap. LOL. Right after that Nirva went to get her interview and we found out that they all thought that Anne was getting baptized as well. So when Nirva found out she wasn’t she was like, “I am alone!?” Oh man….the first prob is that we haven’t even counted Anne as an investigator bc she doesn’t live in our area but a whole nother church. So we were just counting the lessons. So while there we were tying to figure out what we had to do and what we were gonna do! Then Nirva comes out straight faced with Elder Pickering the same, right behind her. I see her mouth, “No.” I go over and ask her why and what happened. She just says she didn’t pass. I go ask Elder Pickering and he says to ask her. I turn around flustered when Nirva squats bringing up her leg and starts punching the air with a huge grin. Yup, they were playing a nasty trick on us! I would’ve never though that’d come from Nirva! The stress was so high that I almost lost it and started crying everywhere! LOL. Just before that I had also been told that a sister was coming here, meaning that either Smithy or I was leaving. Well we finally get home all sad bc we want to stay together and wondering what in the world we are gonna do with Anne. So Saturday morning we spend trying to figure out what are the boundaries of the ward where Anne lives and what church is closer to her. We then find out that she is planning on moving to Richmond Hill or even better, Jamaica. So this gives us a better chance of being able to go through with Sunday. So we call pres and update him and he has to get an ok from the stake pres and bishop since she isn’t even in the stake. So while waiting for that I am in the car with Mike and Reshma on our way to the temple for baptisms for the dead. (Nerves of the temple and then NY driving aren’t a good mixture. I could’ve thrown up.) Pres calls and says that he got the ok and so we have to hurry and set up an appt. I’m tryint to call everyone and no one answers. Everyone is waiting for me so we can get in to temple. So I leave messages with my DL hoping that it all works out.

The temple was so nice. It was so nice to go and do baptisms. I haven’t done that in so long! It was so nice to see Mike and Reshma in the Lord’s house. They loved it and thought it was so beautiful. The guy who confirmed me also baptized me. When I got in the water he cheerfully said so J and hugged me. After wards as I’m trying to keep water from getting in my eyes he gives me a big squeeze. It felt so nice like I was getting a big hug from my Heavenly Father. I figured out why. Oh…I haven’t had a hug from no man since before I left! Oops! It was very comforting and I can’t wait for that again! I wondered tho why he was so sweet to me…? J When we got out S. Smith said that one of the guys was from Preston. As we left they were eating outside at a restaurant. His name was Brother Sweeley. I recognized the name and we knew the same ppl J some that I grew up with in my home ward. ( mom he is related to craig and Dorothy Thomas.) So that was fun. I think the nice guy from the temple was his son or son-in-law maybe. It was really funny to hear them trying to get Mike and Reshma’s last name right in the confirmation room. Hahahahaha. Nazim pronounced just how it looks but with their big Guyanese accent hard to understand. lol

Once we got out of the temple we had a message that Anne was ready for an interview that night at 7. Well the good news is that they (pickering and brother jean-louis of the bishopric) loved her testimony. She was all set! Then that night we got transfer calls. Me and smith are staying together but have to still go to transfer mtg. Ya we guessed it (rumors) Sister Bartschi, the sister I trained, was coming with us! We are in a trio! We go tomorrow and will be trying to fit another sister in the pad! I am very curious as to how a trio will go.

Well Sunday President came to church as well as Anne’s whole family! Her 19 yr old son, Omslee, is catholic and had no interest really before. Well he wanted to know what the church was all about and how it was different. So by command from President we taught him during Relief Society. He said he was def gonna look into it and read the BOM. We can pray that we can get the family baptized. Anne also has a 14 yr old girl and a 6 or 7 yr old boy who is sooo cute!

The baptism went really quite well! After Nirva was baptized, her mother, Anne and her family all started clapping. Haha. Man, President and Sister Nelson’s faces were so funny. After the baptism I played “The Spirit of God” arrangement that I did before I left. Haha. Man, I think that I am not a performer, and I will not perform again. Hahahaha. Enough said.

Well, I think that that is everything! Whoo-ee! I hope no one falls asleep while they read this. Maybe I should’ve put chapters…? Anwyas, so we ended the transfer with 2 baptisms the last Sunday with a total of 3 the whole transfer. Wow, so incredible. What a beautiful experience. I love it. I loved seeing how happy Nirva and Anne were and excited they were to finally be baptized. They were done waiting. After the baptism, Yolande, (Nirva’s mom) came and acted like she was crying. I asked Nirva to interpret and she said that she wanted to be baptized. Luckily we have an elder who is coming that can speak French who can teach her and get her ready! J sorry, I took a lot of time! That is all! I love you all so much and hope you are all doing well! And congrats mick! Mom prob told you but all week I kept getting this feeling that you had the baby. (I couldn’t remember rthe due date) but sure enough you had! I bet that she is beautiful! I love her name. cute cute! Love you all!



Sister Phillips